Calvillo coming back for 20th season

Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo looks for a receiver as they face the Toronto Argonauts during second quarter football action in the CFL Eastern Final Sunday, November 18, 2012 in Montreal. Photo by
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

By Herb Zurkowsky

MONTREAL — The numbers are impressive and don’t lie. Two consecutive seasons of more than 5,000 yards passing, seven overall since 2002. Eleven regular-season victories last season, good for first place in the East Division. And the fifth Canadian Football League all-star berth of his illustrious career.

But does Anthony Calvillo at age 40 — 41 in August — still have what it takes to lead the Alouettes to a championship? That will be the question that continues being asked, both of him and this organization, next summer.

The yards are impressive, the victories a ringing endorsement of the Als’ success over the years. But the quarterback always will remain the focal point of the team, the lightning rod that stimulates the greatest debate. And quarterbacks are always measured by playoff victories and championships.

Montreal won consecutive Grey Cups in 2009 and 2010, but has fallen short the last two seasons, losing its last two playoff games, a semifinal and final, both at home.

That, for an organization accustomed to greatness, is damning.

This is the longest the Als have gone, since a four-year stint in the late 1990s upon their return to the league, between trips to the title game.

The whispers of this being a franchise in decline will continue, especially as long as Argonauts general manager Jim Barker continues to crow how the balance of power in the division has shifted to Toronto. As the champs, it’s hard to dispute Barker’s theory.

“When you don’t go back to the Grey Cup for two consecutive years, people are going to start asking that question. It’s a legitimate question,” said Calvillo, who confirmed his return to the Als — something everyone has expected for weeks — at a Thursday afternoon Olympic Stadium news conference.

“I wouldn’t come back if I didn’t feel I could go out and help this team win another championship. I just wouldn’t. I’m not coming back just to enjoy the moment, the yards, the fellowship. That’s not the case.”

Calvillo spoke for nearly 30 minutes, his left arm in a sling after undergoing shoulder surgery last Friday to repair a torn labrum he played with nearly the entire season.

The sling will be removed in three weeks. Calvillo will be faced with four months of rehab, including strengthening the shoulder and returning it to its full range of motion. He’ll resume throwing in April, a month ahead of schedule, before returning for his 20th CFL season, 16 with Montreal, having been signed to a two-year contract.

While Calvillo’s wife, Alexia, and assistant general manager Marcel Desjardins were in attendance, somewhat curiously, not one single teammate was present.

By returning, Calvillo could well be exposed in next year’s expansion draft, provided Ottawa begins play in 2014. But that’s a story for another day, as is the future of backup quarterback Adrian McPherson, a potential free agent in February, who has played a supporting role the last five seasons.

Should McPherson sign elsewhere and become a star, the Als might be kicking themselves for years.

A year from now, Calvillo will take us through this exercise again, while we wait for his decision. He takes things a year at a time, quite predictably, and made it clear he wants to play as long as he can; that is, as long as he remains proficient and the Als are competitive.

“I felt I played very consistent,” said Calvillo, who passed for 5,082 yards and 31 touchdowns in 17 games last season.

“When you’re not playing well, like (at the end of) 2011, that’s when you wonder whether you’re coming back for the right reason. Two years ago, I had to think about it. This year, I know darn well I can do it. There are no issues, whatsoever.

“I don’t want to keep coming back because this is all I know … because I get paid very well,” he added. “It comes down to what I’m putting on my resume … game film. I’m very happy with that. The coaches and organization are happy with that.”

The legendary Damon Allen played until he was 44, producing an incredible 23-year career, before the Argos, his last team, told him they’d seen enough back in 2007.

It took Toronto five years to replace him and only then thanks to the largesse of Eric Tillman, who decided Ricky Ray would look better in double blue than Edmonton’s green and gold.

A similar scenario seems unlikely for Calvillo. His move, when that time comes, will be short. There’s a coaching office waiting for him when he retires.

And, should Marc Trestman not be the head coach when that time comes, it seems certain owner Robert Wetenhall will provide the franchise player with a front-office position.

“It’s very difficult to say when I’m going to retire,” Calvillo said. “At one point you’re supposed to retire — and that will come. But today’s not it. I have too much passion and love for this organization.

“Every athlete who has retired, 99 per cent of the time they say to play as long as you can. I feel I’m playing as long as I can for the right reasons. I can still get the job done. If I hear people starting to say ‘maybe you should give it up because you’re not playing at your level,’ I’ll only listen if it’s coming from the right people — in the locker-room, the coaches and organization.”

So, Calvillo will continue working with Scott Suter, the Als’ former athletic therapist and his private trainer — the career extender, as the QB calls him. Suter will continue challenging him and then, come June, Calvillo will start awakening before the crack of dawn, commencing his mental and physical journey.

“As you get older, it’s a mind battle. People are telling you that you should be retiring soon,” Calvillo conceded. “People are telling you that you’re 40, that you can’t get the job done anymore. Mentally, you have to block that out. I’ve thrown out the whole age thing.”

The day’s coming when the Als must deal with life without Calvillo — at least on the field — and cope with the ramifications.

That day hasn’t come, yet, but it’ll be interesting to see if there’s a master plan. Stay tuned.

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